Lyndi - I know somebody who changed her name to Alina as an adult. I don't remember what her old name was, but she changed it when she was in her late 30s to Alina because she like that name. Love it too.

Blue - ugh to taxes. That reminds me that I need to take care of my moms taxes. Thankfully DH takes care of ours, so I just have to sign my name.

Mom to DS 12/07 and DD 11/13, plus a bunch of chickens, dogs, and cats.

Moving past many years of infertility and always thinking of my friends in the infertility forums.

Blue, ha ha, I haven't been hiding, although I wish I could go somewhere and stay dormant for a few days... I've been sick. AGAIN. And so has DS. I developed a cough when we were in Turks and Caicos, but it didn't really bother me because I was so busy having fun and plus all the humidity didn't make me feel so bad. And then I started to get better, and then DS got sick and then my cold came back (or else it was a new one-- the one that DS had... otherwise, why didn't he get sick earlier, when I was sick?)... Anyway, it's been a brutal one, and all week it's been really tough. DS had to go to the doctors because of a fever that just wouldn't go away and got higher and higher-- ear infection. Now I'm off there tomorrow because my ears are bugging me, too. Seriously, can we not have a break over here with the cold/flu viruses?

About your question re: Turks and Caicos... we really liked it over there. It's a good place to go with families, because there isn't a malaria risk, low crime, good medical care, English speaking, to mention a few things. I normally like to do adventure travel and even rough it on the unbeaten path, but that's on hold until the kid(s) are older, whether for the reason that they come with us (and it would be safer/easier when they are older, i.e. more self-sufficient and able to handle the elements, OR, we leave them at home with grandparents. I'm not that brave, to do either of those things at this point-- ha ha, I miss my DS if I haven't seen him all afternoon when he's been out with DH.

And your question about the pelvic floor issues... well, both my family doc and midwives suggested I see an OB-GYN for a consult, which I did today. I got in within a week of the referral, because there was some concern that I might have some prolapse going on... and with the concern over placenta previa and all that... Anyway, they were thinking this because ever since I got the cough I had some incontinence and then now two weeks later this cold thing is way worse and in the last couple of days, the 'spillage' is REALLY bad. Coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose-- it's an 'oops'. So, I went from using pads to Depends. Yep, fun stuff. And, it was feeling really 'full' and 'bulge-y' down there (sorry, tmi). Good news is, I might only have some vaginal wall prolapse, which isn't anything to worry about. Apparently, 2nd (and beyond) time around, one kind of stretches out and the congestion (all the increased blood flow to the area) happens quickly and it can get really pronounced. He can't say for sure, because he couldn't do a pelvic exam because of the placenta previa. And also, when laying down, it looks pretty normal in that area. (It's when I'm squatting or doing the sneezing/coughing that I feel that sensation.) More good news is that he did a quick u/s, and he says he'd bet that the placenta will move up and out of the way, and I wouldn't need a c/s. And even more good news, is that I don't have to consider an elective c/s to save my pelvic floor (something my family doc had wondered)... because... and here is the bad news... that my pelvic floor is damaged from giving birth the first time. 90% of the damage done is from that, and so it's not going to get much worse this time around. My DS was asynclitic (sp?), but still, it wasn't a complicated case. Because of that, plus I didn't like the burning sensation, I held back a bit on the pushing (yep, I did... until one of the midwives said, "Do you want this baby to stay inside you?" in a firm tone), he came out slowly (two hours)... Apparently, the OB said that sometimes if babies pop out really fast, your body doesn't have time to stretch enough and you can have a lot of damage. Since that didn't happen to me, it might just be genetics wtih the pelvic floor being weaker, and my age at having my babies. Anyway, I hope this cold goes away soon, and I'm not experiencing incontinence anymore, because it's humiliating doing a diaper change for both me and my DS... plus those darn things are expensive. Sorry for the long AFM... but I needed to vent my frustration and also, I'm hoping that I might have some advice thrown my way for this issue.

I'm trying to remember all that is going on with everyone, so I can respond to each of you, but my memory is failing me even though I've just read each of the last 30-odd posts carefully... ugh, I wish we could just scroll back a few pages without losing what we have typed! I'm afraid I'm going to miss out on someone if I start doing individual ones... so I'll try and get caught up once we are feeling better here.

Keria, I CRACKED UP when I saw your third photo with Lucia taking a huge bite on Oliver's head. They are both too adorable! Is one more attached to you and another to your husband? Or are both pretty similarly attached to both of you? As for the stroller, thanks for the tips! I actually decided to get the iCandy stroller because DH preferred it and felt it had more leg room. However, looking at both again, I don't believe that but we already bought the stroller. haha. whoops. It's good because DH is fast with it too but I need to get better.

Lyndi, I'm with you...i love beautiful brick much and will never know how people can paint that over. I always wanted an apartment with an exposed brick wall and fireplace. haha That always seemed so romantic to me. Yah to April 9th! Just a month and a half more. it'll fly by! By the way, love the name Alina!

Belly, that's silly that people are telling you to try for another baby! I think that your DH would be so happy to be surrounded by beautiful women (although, he'll have to get that shotgun out when they get older...haha) It's funny because people who know that I am having a boy and a girl say I'm so lucky that I have both so I can be done. I tell them that whether it turned out that I was having two boys, two girls or one of each, I was done. I wanted 2 children, regardless of the sexes and that was that. People just don't think about what they say. And anyway, girls are the best...speaking from the experience of being a girl. hehehe. By the way, in terms of visits, I actually have every other week visits scheduled mostly because they want to check my cervix (due to a prior LEEP procedure). The doctor says that he plans on doing a scan of the babies themselves every 4 weeks. So perhaps, because everything is looking so great on your side, you'll end up seeing the doctor every 4 weeks? It's odd that he hasn't scheduled anything yet though!

Rcr, I hope that the memories become reality for you again in about, oh, 10 or so months. :oD I really hope that gannerilix helps prevent your early ovulation...that way the egg has time to mature fully. I'm so hopeful for you this round, even with the darn cyst. I was really happy to read that Kewpie had a cyst early on and ended up with her two gorgeous babies :o)

Speaking of gorgeous babies...Kewpie!! Maisie is a doll. She's so beautiful! And I love the photo of Liam smiling in his sleep. What a handsome guy! Wow, 7 weeks already...that is so amazing. You and your DH must be so amazed every day when you look at the wonderful little people you brought into this world. :oD

Blue, Abby makes my heart melt. I LOVE her. And her nose. haha you know how some people want to squeeze chubby cheeks? With noses that cute, I want to find the equivalent and do that to Abby. :oD I know, DH thinks i'm a little crazy when it comes to dogs. I just love them so much. Sometimes, I think, if reincarnation were possible, I was either a dog in my previous life or I'm meant to be a dog in my next life. I made DH promise that if reincarnation was real, that he would become whatever I was in my next life too. haha too bad we don't believe in reincarnation! Abby looks very content just being with you two, lying on the couch. I bet she would be a great big sister to your baby! I am following along with you and your cycle but I am running out of time this morning (i had so much trouble sleeping through the night that I ended up getting out of bed a little later this morning and it's almost time to get ready for work!)

Tear, oooh I love camera talk. haha I haven't had much time to play with my camera, which I miss but I'm hoping to "torture" my babies once they are here. Hey, i need blackmail material for the future right? haha. I didn't realize you and Carlyle were sisters! How wonderful to have that relationship and to support each other like that!

Tenzi, oh my gosh with not feeling well :o( You poor girl. it seems like you guys are just getting each other sick in stages! I hope you feel better soon. I'm glad that the doctor thinks that placenta previa won't be a huge issue by the time you give birth but I'm sad about your pelvic floor issues. I hope that it gets better. If it makes you feel better, I hear many pregnant women have to deal with incontinence so I think it's normal and definitely not something you should feel bad about. Although, yes, I do hear that Depends are expensive. Big hugs!!

By the way, taxes. Ugh. haha I just sent our stuff off to my accountant to have him take care of it. Because seriously, numbers and I just don't mix. ;o)

Tear, I am going to totally play with that trick!! I just took some pictures of DD the other day (it was a big day for her!) and most of them came out blurry cause I didn't use a flash, or totally whited out. I was so frustrated because I can usually get something good!! (of course 1 out of 1000 better turn out!!!...hehe!)

Lyndi/Blue, we must have similar naming styles :) Paige and Renee are on my middle name list, along with Claire and a few others! Love the name Alina!!! Great choice!

rcr, so glad Kewpie had a cyst too! Funny thing to be glad for, but I am :) I am so hopeful that this is your cycle, and I haven't had time to comment on the other side, but I love that you were told a December baby! The stars are totally lining up for you!!!!!

Tenzi, we have had a horrible cold here, it's already lasted about 3 weeks, and I sneeze so hard I have a little accident too. Luckily, the one time it was bad I was at home, that would have been so embarrassing (not to mention, I wouldn't have been prepared with extra pants) if we were out and about. Sorry you are sick and dealing with the pelvic floor issue too, but so glad to hear it wont impact a csect.

Shoot gotta run, my mom just got here, and I must go back into hiding :) I'll post more later. Sorry Renavoo!!!!

Belly- I also like the name claire for a middle name.... Only problem is it is my dhs ex fiance.. And even though this year we will be married for 12 years... She still is crazy about him... Last year we ran into her at a get together and after a few drinks she basically jumped my husband and the house owners had to make her leave... So needless to say claire is out!!! Lol

Renavoo, that's interesting about the cervix and your previous LEEP. My u/s this week was the first time they have checked my cervix, but I knew I had a "long" one from when they checked with DD. I think it was 4 cm, but I can't remember exactly since there were so many measurements taken. I have my next 2 ob appointments scheduled 4 weeks apart, but so far I have only had one quick u/s during 1 appt to double check hb...they are so low key about everything, I wonder if that should bother me?!? I'll have to ask at my next appt if there are any other "standard" u/s, they keep talking about having so many because of the twins, but no one has given any details, and I don't remember any others with my DD. So jealous of how often you get to see your little ones!

Deborah, anything new with you?

AFM, looks like we sold my car to a family friend, so we might bite the bullet and get the minivan this weekend!! Eck! I am excited and nervous at the same time...but definitely looking forward to all the space. They are running a deal on the model we want, so all the incentives might make getting it early worth it...plus then I'll be a pro by the time the kiddos get here :) Also, a mom at our school has twin girls and she offered us both of her strollers, a city mini and a city select!! I am going to have to insist on paying her because she keeps saying "give", and that's just crazy generous!

Lyndi, um... wow. That's crazy about your DH's ex! That's a good reason for Claire to be out for you... !

Deborah, I'm hoping I can go back to using regular pantyliners once my cough settles down, and then even better would be if I didn't have to use anything. I saw my family doctor this afternoon and I not only have bilateral ear infection, but also sinus infection. I'm now on antibiotics to fight that off, and codeine for the cough on an as needed basis (primarily at night, as it's been keeping me up half of it). I took one this afternoon after having a major coughing fit at Costco while getting the prescription filled, and it's working like a charm. Just had one little cough and no accident... Even without having a cough/cold, I guess it's going to be something that might be happening as baby gets bigger and everything in there gets more compressed. The things we go through to have our little ones! Oh well.

Belly, what a wonderful person to offer those things! We bought a City Select recently, to replace the City Elite we had, so we can take out both kids. We love it so far, we'll see how it goes with adding baby #2. At 22 months old when the baby arrives, he might be wanting to walk some, but hopefully he'll sit in the second seat. Apparently we can also get that piece added on so that he can stand if he doesn't want to sit. That stroller just seems to versatile... and I know that when we are done with it, we can sell it easily on Kijiji. There are always people on there looking for City Selects.

her lifestyle is way more energetic than mine so I think she seems younger than me sometimes.

Don't believe a word of this anyone... The only time I seem younger is when I'm throwing a temper tantrum...

Mama to Nell (11/15/06) and Maggie (10/9/10) . AFTER 2.5 YEARS, I AM AN AUNTIE!!! HOORAY TEAR78 and welcome Anika and Brand New Baby Boy!!!! Circumcision: the more you know, the worse it is; please leave the decision up to your son!

Blue and Belly- Yes I am alive and here. I also have things going on. I am surprised I did not talk about my crazy weekend last weekend. My 60 lb. dog who is very loving and wonderful does not know her size. Last Saturday she jumped right on my abdomen which was pretty scary. Luckily the babies moved within about 1/2 an hour, but it seems to have caused major anxiety because I had a BP spike that caused a dizzy spell. They are considering it connected and a one-time thing, but babies will be fine. I did strain my abdominal muscle which was incredibly uncomfortable. Tenzinsmama- Hope your cough goes away. AFM otherwise- I have been incredibly tired lately, probably because sleeping is getting quite difficult. Moving is also getting harder. My bump is getting bigger by the day which is great, but I'm still in awe. I have discovered some of what makes babies move. They seem to react particularly to me sneezing, which is kind of hilarious. I have bad pregnancy rhinitis so I get to feel this a lot. It is still mostly flutters, but yesterday I felt slightly stronger punches/kicks. I think someone was climbing on top of the other one, but that's just conjecture. I have my profile pic that shows the latest bump, but I'll also post a few of them here.

We just started doing shifts yesterday with the babies. I take 8am to 6pm while DH is at work and then we both take 6pm to 9 pm and then he sleeps till 3am while I’m “on call” and then he takes over so I can sleep till 8. Why on earth had I not thought of this sooner? We had been both getting up and each taking a baby. We were each getting 3 hours of sleep a night… tops (and in tiny chunks of 30 minutes here and there!) It never fails that one of them won’t go to sleep which means neither of us were.

Then yesterday I thought about how I handle them by myself all day and it goes fine and why couldnt we do that at night so we could each get a chunk of uninterrupted sleep. TOTAL DUH MOMENT! hahaha

It worked great and I got 5 hours of sleep! WOO!

(oh, and earplugs and a sleep mask are nice for the person on "sleep shift." That way the on call person doesn't have to be super quiet and can watch TV or something to help stay awake and not drop a baby. :)

Just a thought to possibly tuck away and see if it works for you...

Me: 33 PCOS Him: 33 vericocele
13 long years of TTC using various methods before the twins finally came - Too much history to list
IVF #1 11 weeks
IVF #2 Liam and Maisie (now 2 years old)
IVF #3 BFN and no frosties
IVF #4 BFP!!!! Twins again!

Rena, DH says neither of us is the favorite, the boob is the favorite :)

Tear I wonder if my kids will be small, right now they are tiny little things. I'm pretty small but Dh is tall so we'll see my friend's 2 month old is 12 pounds and looks gigantic besides my kids. Oh and we didn't get the bassinet but I'm ordering it this week the babies sleep in the stroller but I'm not comfortable leaving them there at night but if they sleep in the bassinet we could put it in our room and maybe they'll sleep there at night. That's what I'm hoping for anyways.

Kewpie Thanks for the tips I'm getting almost no sleep. I think I broke them lol the easiest place for me to feed them them at the same time is the recliner so they fall asleep there on top of me and wake up when I try to get into bed so I have been sleeping on the recliner with both babies on me. We really need to find a way that at least they'll sleep in the bed with us. Ideally they'll sleep in their side car crib but I'll take our bed instead of the recliner.

Deborah, glad to hear that things have settled down for you... Your pooch is the size of our two, and I sure wouldn't want one of them jumping on me-- it's bad enough with having my 21 lb DS climb all over me and rest his weight on my belly when I'm carrying him. How's the abdominal muscle doing? I don't remember if I posted my issue with that earlier, but from my cough I've had a pulled muscle over my rib cage on the one side for the past couple days-- it's a big 'ouch' having those strains, for sure. I love that t-shirt you have on in your recent pics!

Kewpie, that's great that you are now doing the shift thing. I know that in the first several weeks of having my DS, I was going on adrenaline, and then suddenly all the cumulative nights of lack of enough sleep really caught up with me. Our DS was colicky, and it was suggested that we do shifts, but we never did-- I just couldn't relax. It's great that you can do that-- I learned my lesson and will do that this time around if we need to get more sleep. How's it going with other things with Maisie and Liam? How is your recovery from the birth going?

Keria, same question for you-- how is recovery going? What kind of basssinett will you have? We bought an Arm's Reach Co-sleeper mini convertible bassinett, and I'm looking forward to using it this time around. I believe the original version is big enough for twins, but since we are just having the one, the convertible should do us just fine. Our dogs sleep on the side of the bed on the floor, so there wouldn't be room for the regular-sized one. Especially with our king bed which we got last fall-- we had a queen with our DS and when we did all the co-sleeping, it just seemed like we needed the extra room. I thought about getting a used crib and making a side-car arrangement, but then we were able to find this Arm's reach for a steal of a deal. Anyway, we'll see how it works-- a friend of mine, when she heard her little one crying to nurse, she just pulled the sheet that he was laying on so that she slid him over to her, and it didn't disturb either of them enough to really wake them up too much.

I thought I would post a pic... It's kind of a weird shot, the way I'm leaning back a bit and have my neck twisted to the side to snuggle into the puppy... But, this is me at 23 weeks, while we were in Turks and Caicos visiting a dog rescue organization. They call the dogs potcakes... We actually brought one home with us because one of the pups was being adopted by the nephew of one of the ladies who volunteered there, since we lived in the same city. It was so easy, the pup never made a sound, just slept the whole way and we had him in a soft carrier under the seat in front of us. Ha ha, we actually traveled with the pup and our 18 month old and I was almost 6 months pregnant... it went so well. Not only was the pup a little angel, it really helped that DS was so easygoing-- he was a great little traveler, actually. *sigh* It was so great being on holidays... Now that we are back home, it's either the fact that he has been sick or that he is back in his own environment with no novelty (or both), but there have been some major power struggles/temper tantrums the last two days. I read somewhere that around this age, the challenging behavior really starts to show up... It seems so easy, now that I look back, when they are in the first year. I think I'd rather deal with sleeplessness than the tantrums. Although I must say, this time is the most fun so far, with seeing all the things that he is doing and learning each day and becoming his own little person. Ha ha, I may be eating my words in about 3 or so months!

Tenzins- The strain is getting much better, but now I am feeling the bruise that developed. It is not a huge one, but I am noticing it more. Of course, I am sure all this is mixed with round ligament pains and things and it's just hard to tell the difference. Everyone else- I'll catch up with personals later. I'm enjoying feeling the babies move a lot more. It is still flutters, but getting more regular and slightly stronger by the day.

Deborah, how scary, but I am glad to hear everything is okay with the babies and you are recovering well.

Kewpie, good idea about shifts!

Keira, oh my, I hope you can get them into your bed or the sidecar!! That sounds exhausting!

Renavoo, I hope you had a great weekend! Do you plan on working less hours as you get closer to the end? I don't know how you do it, my part time job has me exhausted...or maybe it's DD :)

Bungalow, rcr, blue, carlyle, hi :)

AFM, such a busy weekend for us! We bought a minivan and sold my car to a friend...I can't believe how long it takes to buy a car! It was exhausting, but luckily they had free cookies and hot chocolate to keep me going :) Hope all is well with everyone!

ETA: I just realized I am 20 weeks today...wow time is starting to really move quickly!

Tenzi-your belly pic is super cute also how nice that you were able to visit a shelter on vacation, how fun!!

Belly- your half way there!! Congrats on the minivan, new vehicles are always fun!! My husband just got a brand new truck that seat 6 his old one sat 5 . He loves his new truck but misses his old baby!!

Deborah- im glad you and babies r doing well!! It all icey here and I went down my steps today and almost went down!! The painful part was in catching myself and felling like I pulled 100 muscles doing it!! Anyway Im glad all is well with you!!

Kewpie-Im glad you are able to figure out a schedule!! I cant imagine!! Im nervous about being up with one baby all night and then having to get my older ones off to school on time!! Then you have belly who has a wee one and twins on the way, she going to be a super woman soon too!!!

Hello to everyone else!!

Afm-im excited and nervous all at the same time!! I day dream alot about how things will be when she is here!! We have everything ready!! The diaperbag is packed and sitting with one of the car seats. Bassinet in our room, pack n play with bassinet insert, swing, and bouncy seat are all in the living room, im a big couponer so I have enough diapers and wipes for at least 2 months that I paid about 4-5$ a pack for diapers and 1.00 a container of wipes. My husband has been wonderful picking them all up for me!! I think 25 boxes of wipes and around 600 diapers sit in the nursery!! I do have a question fir any of you that will be bottle feeding. I pump and bottle feed along with breast feeding and was wondering if anyone has used or know anyone who uses tommee tippe (spelled wrong) I have avent but I saw these at the store and liked them... Anyone have a opinion???!!!..

Keria - I had that problem too... that they'd fall asleep on me and then it'd be hard to transfer them. I found that with mine, swaddling under their armpits helped cause they were wrapped and couldn't feel movement as well. If yours like to be swaddled, you may try that. DH and I have decided that putting babies to bed is an artform and we're still trying to figure it out. :)

tenszins - I'm recovering fine. I'm just about back to normal. I'm actually quite a bit under my prepregnancy weight, so I'm feeling rather good on that front. My hips, knees, and low back have not recovered yet unfortunately. I'm in a lot of pain most days, but I've been seeing a doctor. Your bump picture is adorable!!! What a cute bump!

rcr - I'm only producing about 2 ounces of breast milk every 2 hours and the babies are eating 2.5 - 4 ounces each at each feeding every 2.5-3.5 hours. Try as I might, I'm just not able to keep up with demand, so we've bitten the bullet and been supplementing. When it's DH's turn to feed, he gives half breastmilk and half formula in the bottles. Thankfully, they are able to nurse despite getting bottles without getting nipple confusion. I attribute that to using a SNS for the first 4 weeks instead of bottles.

lyndi - We have tommy tippees. I like them for the following reasons: They really do have nice soft nipples that do feel similar to the breast. They are easy to put together and the babies do seem to like them. My complaints: My son collapses the nipple in really easily. He does this with all bottles, BUT the tippee ones are supposed to prevent this. They obviously don't. Another complaint, they have a lot of parts to them. They are similar to the dr Brown's bottles if you are familiar with them. It's not a huge deal, but when you have a hungry baby, taking time to put it together can leave mom annoyed... All in all, they aren't bad bottles. I guess it depends on what is important to you. If you want something similar to the breast in feel, these definitely fit the bill. BUT they aren't so spectacular that I'd write home about them either. They don't seem to reduce spit up or gas so much. I haven't found a bottle that does yet. I think I have just about every bottle out there. I have avent, dr brown, dr andrew weilbaby, nuk, evenflo, similac, soothies, tommy tippees, medela and probably a few others that I am forgetting. TBH, my favorites are the 4oz medela with a simulac nipple. (because they are simple and I have a zillion of them)

Me: 33 PCOS Him: 33 vericocele
13 long years of TTC using various methods before the twins finally came - Too much history to list
IVF #1 11 weeks
IVF #2 Liam and Maisie (now 2 years old)
IVF #3 BFN and no frosties
IVF #4 BFP!!!! Twins again!

I have a question about cribs... What do you all think about 3 in 1 or 4 in 1 convertible cribs? We bought one for DS before he was born from Costco (along with a dresser that functioned as a change table, until we removed the side pieces last month), and though we co-slept for the first 13 months, he is now sleeping in it and loves it. We don't plan to take him out of it and use it for the new baby... aside from any upset to what he's used to for sleeping arrangements, as far as we are concerned the whole set is his-- he can take it all with him when he moves out type-of-thing. However, it's just occured to me that since the toddler bed uses the crib mattress, it really isn't going to be that big of a bed for him (though he's on the smaller side, it should last awhile) but eventually it will be too small... and yet to convert it to the double bed, that might be too big for him-- not to mention it takes up a lot of space. So what do people do in that in-between stage when they have a convertible? Put in storage and buy a twin bed? With a twin bed, it would give a lot more space for when he is wanting to play in his room, and even maybe leave enough room for a desk for him to do schoolwork when he's older... Our rooms are pretty small in this house, but I wasn't really thinking of that when we went for the convertible type...hmmm, not sure what to think. This is coming to mind now, because of looking at crib options for the new baby... So, convertible, or 'regular' crib? (I've been looking at ads on Kijiji for gently-used options, and it's just dawned on me to wonder why oftentime people are selling their convertible cribs and yet keeping their dressers...maybe they are finding this, too?)

Kewpie, just missed your post while I was doing mine... Just want to say, I'm glad to hear that you are recovering quite well, although I do hope your hips, knees and lower back get a lot better soon. Is it because of carrying the babies-- it just threw your alignment out of whack? Or is it pre-existing, and was aggravated by pregnancy?

I've always had lower back problems. My knees and hips are from everything loosening up and haven't gone back yet. I imagine the 14 weeks of bedrest didn't help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenzinsMama

Kewpie, just missed your post while I was doing mine... Just want to say, I'm glad to hear that you are recovering quite well, although I do hope your hips, knees and lower back get a lot better soon. Is it because of carrying the babies-- it just threw your alignment out of whack? Or is it pre-existing, and was aggravated by pregnancy?

Me: 33 PCOS Him: 33 vericocele
13 long years of TTC using various methods before the twins finally came - Too much history to list
IVF #1 11 weeks
IVF #2 Liam and Maisie (now 2 years old)
IVF #3 BFN and no frosties
IVF #4 BFP!!!! Twins again!

Keria, DD had reflux and I spent many nights sleeping with her in our reclining sofa chair. I hope you're able to get back to sleeping in bed, but don't feel bad about doing what works!

Kewpie, have you tried to Breastflow bottles? They have a lot of parts, too, but I wonder if they would help with the collapsing. They're supposed to reduce flow and let baby control how much comes out. We love it.

Lyndi, definitely no Claire! I absolutely understand about disliking a name just because of a person. She sounds really annoying too and i'm sad she's still in your life causing drama. Yah to being prepared, by the way!! I can't believe it's almost time for you...it's so exciting. By the way, I am going to start purchasing diapers and such...i'm going to follow your model of coupons and sales. :oD Did you end up buying many different types or stick to one type?

It'll be so exciting to see your babies!

Tenzi, love the pic of the belly (and the puppy in your arms) haha. You really are all belly! Yah! it always is so difficult coming back from a wonderful holiday isn't it? We all work too hard. :oD I keep thinking I need to win the lottery. That would entail playing though, which I'm not inclined to do.

Belly, YAH for the minivan! What kind did you get? Did you get all the fixings (i.e. tvs, etc?) My DH has a company car so we'll use that but he was looking to see if he could get a minivan from the company and they don't supplement minivans. Such a shame! I don't drive so it's not a big deal for me (one of the perks of living in the city- i'm much more about walking on foot everywhere I go) but i know it's going to be a pain when we want to go visit my mom, who lives in queens, or his family, who live upstate.

Kewpie, Yah to being below pregnancy weight! I'm so jealous! Did you speak with your doctor about your back, lower knee problems? I'm wondering if they can put you on a stretching regimen to relieve the pain. As for needing to supplement, I hope you don't feeling bad about that! Your babies are still getting great nutrients from you but they just need a little extra. I'm sure that a lot of people with twins need to supplement and it's no reflection on you. You're doing great (and I can't wait to get some more pointers from you!)

Deborah, yah keep growing!

Keria and Bungalow, just thinking of you!

Rcr, yah to beginning stims!! :oD I can't wait for you and Blue to get to the 2ww and then your bfps!

Blue, how is everything going with you? glad your parents are ok and getting lots of help. Give Abby a hug for me!

AFM, Belly, I'm with you! Time is starting to fly. i mean, day by day, it feels like it is going so slowly but when I think about to the last few weeks, it seems to be moving faster than it did the first 20 weeks. i think it's also because i'm starting to worry less now that i feel a little movement. However, i can't wait until 24 weeks comes and goes... As for work, yeah I would like to ideally work from home the last couple of weeks, if it's possible but we will see. My job is odd in that there really isn't any cover from my responsibilities so they probably would prefer I be there in person. This next week (and actually, until mid March) is going to be insane with work due to a few presentations in the making) so I'll probably be MIA more. I am a little worried about working 14 hour days (including weekends) while pregnant but so far, I've been feeling ok. Sigh, oh to win the lottery!

Renavoo- I have mainly huggies because they have great coupons all the time 3.00 off then target has online coupons for typically 2.00 off huggies so combined thats 5.00 off a pack of diapers!! I really scored after christmas kmart halfed off huggies christmas diapers then 5.00 off so they were 3.00 a pack for those!!! They were size 3 but who cares!! The wipes I got one dollar off pampers wipes I always seem to find those so I have paid about .99¢ for those 60-72 count.

Tenzi, DD has a convertible (not sure if its 3in1 or 4in1), but it's a crib, toddler daybed, and full sized. We took the front off when she was about 2 years 2 months. She probably would have stayed in it till college, she loves the crib and never tried to climb out! For us, we don't have big enough rooms for a full size bed and I don't care for how high the footboard would be. About 2 weeks ago we moved her into a twin with 2 bedrails to give her some time to get used to it before the babies arrive. She still stays in it really well (calls for me when she wakes up to come get her, instead of climbing down herself). I kind of don't want her to know it's an option to get out of bed by herself :) Plus, we were given the headboard and matresses, so I figured we may as well use that and then only need to buy one more crib/matteress for the twins. But I had always planned on passing down the "baby" furniture and getting a new "big girl" set for DD...we have friends that are going to keep the older sibling in the same furniture and buy a new "forever" crib for the baby. If you like the furniture for your DS, and he is comfortable, there is no sense messing with a good thing.

Renavoo, so cool you don't have to drive much, I despise driving...but will hopefully enjoy it a little more now :) And a free car/SUV is an awesome car/SUV. With only 2 kiddos you'll have plenty of room for those occasional trips! We got an Odyssey because it is the only van that has 3 latch seats across the middle for carseats (currently). I didn't want to have to climb into a 3rd row with DD to try to get her buckled and have the 2 infant carseats to carry/climb around too. So this way I can push the button for the door to open :) have DD climb into her chair, walk around to snap in the infant seats, come back and tighten DD up and hop in my seat...sounds like a piece of cake right :) Oh wait, I forgot about load the stroller (double snap and go, at first) and diaper bags! Haha, it's going to be nuts! Your work hours make me tired to read! I hope you get some relief later next month!!

Lyndi, great job couponing!!! I need to get atleast a few packs of each size (even though we CD) on sale/with coupons soon. I noticed all diapers went up by a dollar a pack at our local store :(

Hello to everyone else!!!! I am off to enjoy 30 min of just me time before DD wakes up from her nap!